Mr. Teeth, pot-stash guardian, dies

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Mr. Teeth, the 5-foot reptile found guarding a house filled with marijuana in Castro Valley, has died.

The dwarf caiman, previously misidentified by authorities as an alligator, died overnight at the Oakland Zoo’s Veterinary Hospital, a day after Alameda County sheriff’s deputies found it at a home in Castro Valley along with 34 pounds of dried marijuana.

The creature arrived at the zoo “critically ill and non-responsive,” said zoo spokeswoman Nicky Mora. Staff examined the caiman, took blood samples and determined that his “prognosis was poor,” Mora said.

Caimans are native to tropical regions of Central and South America and live near rivers, streams and bodies of water. They average about 4 to 6 feet in length.

Assif Mayar, 32, got the alligator in 1996 “to commemorate the death of rapper Tupac Shakur,” said Alameda County sheriff’s Sgt. J.D. Nelson.

Assif Mayar

Mayar was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale and was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he is being held in lieu of $160,000 bail.